Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – In February, the seasonally adjusted Texas unemployment rate was 6.9%, up from 6.8% in January 2020. Texas lost 27,500 total nonagricultural jobs over the month, the first decrease in ten months.
Private sector employment moved in the same direction with a decrease of 19,300 positions for the month.
“Although we saw a slight decrease in employment numbers last month, we still see strength in the Texas economy,” said TWC Chairman Bryan Daniel.“TWC will continue to maintain programs to enhance job skills and provide access to the thousands of available jobs on MyTXCareer.com”
In February, the Professional and Business Services industry lost 23,000 jobs. However, Trade, Transportation and Utilities gained 14,800, the tenth consecutive month of job growth in that sector, achieving positive annual growth for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. Leisure and Hospitality lost 5,800 jobs during the month.
“Our workforce remains resilient and is made up of millions of Texans ready to work,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez.“TWC has a variety of programs to help Texas workers improve their skills like Metrix online learning, which is free to all Texans and individuals can reach out to their local boards to explore further options.”
The Amarillo Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) recorded February’s lowest unemployment rate among Texas MSAs with a not seasonally adjusted rate of 5.1%, followed by the College Station-Bryan MSA and Austin-Round Rock MSA which were tied for the second lowest rate of 5.6%.
“Texas employers continue working around the clock to open their businesses while safely serving all Texans in their communities,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Aaron Demerson.“Even through the pandemic and unexpected winter storm, Texas remains resilient. My office continues to stand ready to assist Texas employers by providing them with relevant and useful information that will assist with keeping the Texas economic engine on track.”
Employment estimates released by TWC are produced in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. All estimates are subject to revision. To access this and more employment data, visit TexasLMI.com.
The Texas Labor Market & Career Information Data for March is scheduled to be released on Friday, April 16, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. (CDT).
